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South Carolina Gamecocks at Colonial Life Arena
Columbia, South Carolina, is home to one of the top basketball programs in the Southeastern Conference. The University of South Carolina Gamecocks play at Colonial Life Arena, which opened in 2002 and seats 18,000. They are coached by Frank Martin, who successfully led the Kansas State Wildcats to four NCAA tournament appearances in five seasons before moving on to South Carolina in 2012, leading the Gamecocks to their first men's Final Four appearance in 2017.
South Carolina Gamecocks Men's Basketball History
The University of South Carolina first fielded a men's basketball team in 1908, and achieved success in the Southern Conference in the 1920s and '30s, before joining six other SoCon teams to form the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1953. The legendary Frank McGuire, who had previously led St. John's and UNC to Final Four appearances, led the Gamecocks from 1964 until his retirement in 1980. During McGuire's reign, South Carolina reached the NCAA Sweet 16 three years in a row, from 1971 to 1973, in addition to winning the ACC regular season and tournament championship once apiece in their final two seasons in the conference.
Eight-time NBA All-Star and Basketball Hall of Famer Alex English starred at South Carolina in the mid '70s, and was arguably the first African-American star athlete in the school's history. South Carolina moved from the Metro Conference to the Southeastern Conference in 1991, with coach Eddie Fogler leading the Gamecocks to an SEC regular season championship in 1997. Former Wake Forest head coach Dave Odom led South Carolina from 2001 to 2008, appearing in three postseason NIT championships, winning in 2005 and 2006 behind the play of tournament MVPs Carlos Powell and Renaldo Balkman. In 2017, the Gamecocks made their first appearance in the Final Four, beating Marquette, Duke, Baylor and Florida before bowing to Gonzaga in the national semifinal. South Carolina became the tenth team to have both their men's and women's teams reach their respective Final Four in the same year, with coach Dawn Staley's women's team winning the 2017 NCAA championship.
We have season USC basketball tickets, but occasionally buy tickets for our son and his wife. We always enjoy going to the games, but sometimes, do not like the end result. The atmosphere was good, but our team doesn't have the talent to compete with some of the teams on our schedule. We still pull for the Gamecocks and hope for a victory every game.
Th service at the area was good ,seats were to high, and a chair broke on a little girl no more than 30 pounds. But my team won so it was awesome.
Not a bad seat in the house from what i saw....we were in nose bleed section but could see the game well
I had a good time and, for the price, the seats were great.
This game was great! South Carolina stayed with Tennessee and was actually ahead of them most of the time. The outcome was disappointing but the overall game was great!
Great game at the Colonial Center between TN and SC. The Colonial Center is a tremendous facility to watch basketball. Best timeout and pregame music in the SEC. Wish the fans were a litttle more into their team but I guess I can't complain since the Vols won. I go every year to see this game and win or lose I always have enjoyed the experience.
USC bball game was great until the last 5 minutes and then TN took over!! was much better then the away game at TN when we got creamed! Would have liked my seats to be lower than they were. We went for my husband's birthday and to see our son - who is a junior at USC - Columbia. We really enjoyed it.
Enjoyed the game. TN won and the seats were very good.
Enjoyed game and felt that even the "cheap seats" were good for viewing.
I love going to USC basketball games. The Colonial Center is so nice and win or lose, it is always entertaining.
IM not really a basketball follower but, Devan Downey is the man!
The Colonial Life Arena is an amazing building. The Basketball game was great,what a player DEVAN DOWNEY is.
The basketball game at the CLA was awesome! Our seats were great and the price per ticket was resonable. We definatly look forward to going to many many more games!
The experience of this evening was unforgettable. The Gamecocks, unrated, pulled off an amazing upset victory against the #1 rated Kentucky Wildcats. GO COCKS !!! Purchasing the tickets on my blackberry, in a restaurant, the evening before was a little challenging for the first set. I purchased 2 sets of tickkets, first 6, then 2 more. The second 2 went flawlessly. Like the Ticketmaster Blackberry App. The "Will Call" booth person was perfect. She handled my special request without even batting an eye. Everything about the night was great. Thanks Ticketmaster for being there.
The game was great! The Colonial Life Arena was electric that night. The South Carolina fans were amped. Many Kentucky fans in the house. Overall, a good time!!
Due to weather conditions (sleet and snow) we were unable to make the trip to Columbia from the upstate. Regret we had to miss the game. I rated the event amazing because we won the game at the end. I would recommend basketball, football, and baseball games to a friend.
We braved icy roads to travel to Columbia to see the Gamecocks play the Georgia Bulldogs. The game was great (mainly because we won), but the point of the trip was for family members to see the Colonial Life Center. My husband and I had been there before, but not our grown sons. They were impressed with the decor, with a kindness and concern of the staff (we arrived early before the doors opened, but they let us in and invited us to get a warm drink and stay in the foyer until the official opening.) Our seats had a good view and were very comfortable...seemed to have extra padding and ample leg room. Concession offerings were varied, from ballgame staples to barbecue, Tai, etc. Prices were more than reasonable, considering some of the venues we've visited. Restrooms were clean and plentiful.
Great game! Gamecocks won in a nail biter. Facility was great. Food was not impressive but overall we had a great time.
Concession prices reasonable. Lots of good choices. From big name vendors like Little Caesars Pizza, to the lady selling slices of cake and brownies....we thought that was a cool idea. Restrooms clean. Event staff very friendly and helpful. Temperature in arena was comfortable, not too hot, not too cold. We were in 109. Carolina fans very fun, yet they mind their manners even during tense game moments. We did not hear any profanity whatsoever from the Carolina fans or students. Very family friendly and a great place to take kids to see USC in action.
My ears are still ringing from the '80s music they played all night. Nice venue; just can't believe I drove 500 miles for an L. Go Big Blue!
